


"You're in Love with her"

by arthurmorgan-s-heart (Silverblind)



Series: Prompt Fills [8]
Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Drabble, Female Reader, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-22 03:45:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17052485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverblind/pseuds/arthurmorgan-s-heart
Summary: Fill from "50 dialogue Prompts", #9: "You're in love with her."Hosea always notices more than anyone would think.





	"You're in Love with her"

**Author's Note:**

> From my tumblr blog arthurmorgan-s-heart

“You’re in love with her.”

At Hosea’s words, Arthur realises he’s been staring; his eyes leave you to shift to Hosea, sitting across from him on the other side of the campfire with a knowing smile on his face.

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Arthur mumbles, looking away.

“Don’t give me that nonsense, Arthur,” Hosea answers. Arthur should know by now it’s no use playing innocent. Hosea knows. Hosea  _always_ knows. And he never lets go.

“That ain’t none of your business, I think,” Arthur replies moodily, draining the last of the coffee in his cup before standing. It’s no use denying it; Hosea is right. Ever since you’d joined the gang almost a year ago, you’d caught Arthur’s eye, and he had grown to care for you more and more - and before he knew it, he was head over heels for you. Not that it matters. As if you’d ever feel the same for a man like him.

Hosea follows as Arthur steps away from the campfire, catching up with him at the edge of Horseshoe Overlook’s cliff.

“Maybe so,” Hosea says, coming to stand next to him. “But you know I could never stand to see you miserable.”

The hand he lays on Arthur’s shoulder is warm and comforting; he had always been more fatherly than Dutch - Arthur still remembers the long nights he and Hosea had spent around the fire after Mary had left him for good, talking and easing him through the worst of it, and again when Eliza and Isaac were killed. Still, it takes Arthur gathering every frayed strand of his patience to not snap at him - he knows he’s only trying to help, but nothing will.

“Didn’t exactly end well last time,” he says through gritted teeth.

“She’s not  _her_ ,” Hosea sounds half-reproachful, and Arthur looks down at his boots. He knows that, of course - you and Mary could not be more different from one another. Yet he can’t help but tell himself that, even should you feel the same way about him as he does about you, which is unlikely enough as it is, you’d leave him eventually, for someone better, someone who could give you everything you deserve - and you’d be right to.

“Just talk to her,” Hosea says softly, patting his shoulder. “You think she’s spending all those nights with you talking ‘round the campfire for the quality of your conversation? You know that’s never been your strong suit.”

Arthur can’t help but laugh at that, a quiet chuckle that eases some of the tension in the air; Hosea always knew just what to say. He finally looks at him - there is an encouraging smile on Hosea’s lips as he turns the both of them toward where you’re standing, laughing at something Javier told you.

“Take it from me, Arthur: you can’t let her slip away,” Hosea says quietly, his voice threaded with pain. Arthur knows the memory of Bessie is still raw in his mind. “You never know how long you’ll have with her. If you want her, you have to go get her. And never let go.”

He leaves with a few pats on Arthur’s upper arm as you turn your gaze toward him. You give him a radiant smile that warms him down to his bones, and he answers with a smile of his own as Hosea’s words echo in his mind.

He’s not good enough, not right now; but maybe that can change- and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t at least try.


End file.
